I'm relatively new to this forum and I'm also a new Family Nurse Practitioner that graduated from a non-RN to NP program...one of those programs that RNs consistently bash every time the subject is brought up.
Obviously, the type of program I went to is subject to debate and I'm sure we will all never come to some agreement on the issue, but that is beside the point of this post.
While in my NP program, I consistently heard the phrase "Nurses eat their young." I heard this and did not pay much attention to it. But after seeing it in rotations and after graduation, it makes me wonder. Why do they?
Why is it that nurses always seem to be at war with each other? Seriously. MDs, PAs, Lawyers, Marines, etc. all seem to stick together and cover each other's back while nurses do not.
I have worked so many jobs and have never seen the kind of bickering that goes on as it does with nurses. When I was an EMT and somebody made a mistake, we all tried our best to help the person out. However, nurses are quick to say "He/She did it, it wasn't me." This example is just one of many that I can think of.
Why? What is the problem here? When I became an NP, a lot of RNs disliked the idea that I did not practice for years as a floor nurse. There was no congratulations or welcome to the field attitude. It did not matter that I was a nurse. The only thing that mattered was that I was not a "traditional" nurse...whatever.
Its just so ridiculous. Get over it and get along already. The world is big enough for all types of nurses and we should all accept each other for what each of us brings to the profession. Personally, I may not be the ideal "traditional" nurse, but who cares!!! I enjoy my profession and do a good job. I bring things to the field that others don't as well as lack things that others have. It evens out and on the whole, this is probably a good thing.
